limb
UK[lɪm]US[lɪm]
n
an arm or leg of a person or animal, or a similar projecting part of an object.
n
a large branch of a tree.
Etymology
the word "limb" has a direct lineage from old english lim, which referred broadly to a body part or a branch of a tree. its germanic root, limu-, is thought to be related to the concept of something that extends or projects from a main body. this dual meaning for both anatomical and botanical extensions has been preserved remarkably intact into modern english. the semantic logic is clear: both an arm and a tree branch are projecting, flexible extensions from a central core, a connection that has remained stable for over a millennium.
Analysis
this word is a simplex form. it is a loanword from old english lim, meaning "body part, branch," which has germanic origins.
Examples
the accident resulted in the loss of a limb.
he climbed out onto a sturdy limb of the oak tree.
the robot was designed with flexible, multi-jointed limbs.